We are committed to the rehabilitation, education and protection of our women and girls. We advocate for those who can't speak about their ordeals due to stigmatization. We must #EndRape and stigmatization. Take a #StandtoEndRape with us!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Comedy Group in #India Responds to All the ‘Stupid and Hateful Remarks’ Targeting Sexual Assault Survivors

We have the likes of Basketmouth, Bovi, Akpororo, who are really funny and I believe have a vital tool that can contribute to #EndRape. During some of their shows, they can make jokes centered around rape and just yarb (insult) rapists. I'm sure it will hurt some of them and maybe, just maybe; it will trigger their conscience. Well, since they haven't thought of the idea, a comedy group in #India, fed up with rampant victim-blaming demonstrated towards women who've been raped, decided to fight back — with comedy.
The parody video from "All India Bakchod" features Bollywood actresses gleefully (and sarcastically) explaining to women that rape is "their fault." The joke here isn't the act of rape itself, but the excuses used to perpetrate it. As they state on their Youtube page:

Every sexual assault case in India inspires a string of stupid and hateful remarks against women. This is our response to those remarks.

The video has already gone viral, gaining over half a million hits in three days.

And as it lambasts every tired argument used to blame victims for their own attacks—your skirt was too short, you were walking on the street at night, you're too friendly with men—the similarities between India's rape problem and the one in the U.S. are evident.

Stateside too, sexual assault remains a crime where victims are routinely held to higher scrutiny and scorn than their perpetrators. After all, we don't blame robbery victims, and can you imagine what it would sound like if we did? "What did you expect, going to an ATM at night? You must have secretly wanted to give all your money to the man with the gun." The idea is laughable, but when it comes to sexual assault, it's the norm.

All India Bakchod's video joins other efforts in the country dedicated to chipping away at outmoded ideas about women and their rights in general, but specifically their right to bodily autonomy. The recent and controversial "Save Our Sisters" campaign featured Hindu goddesses, edited to look beaten and bloodied, to drive a home a point about domestic abuse. And the country's continued anti-rape rallies have frequently made international headlines since last December.